Travel requests are typically conducted via inputs to a computer device, such as a personal computer, and these inputs are then sent to a search engine of a computerized system such as a Global Distribution System (GDS) for processing purposes. Major GDSs are known under the following trademarks: Amadeus, Sabre, Apollo and Worldspan. The GDSs are capable of replying with travel solutions matching the user's request. Users typically are travel agents skilled in translating the travel criteria of their clients into a computer request format compatible with the GDS with which they are used to working. The travel agent is required to type GDS-specific commands, known as cryptic commands, on a computer keyboard to dialog with a software application using a command line (i.e. text-based) user interface.
Within the past two decades, more user-friendly, graphical interfaces have been developed. These interfaces offer new possibilities for building search requests to users who have no knowledge of the cryptic formats used by the GDSs. In addition, providing a graphical user interface, or GUI, has now become standard for all software applications developed since at least the beginning of the 1990's on most modern operating systems (OS) including Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh OS (registered Trademarks) and all derivatives of UNIX, the time-sharing OS originally conceived at Bell Laboratories. GUI components include images, icons, dialog boxes, etc. on screen windows. The user can control the application by moving a pointer on the screen or using keyboard equivalents and selecting GUI components while pointing at them or by using keyboard equivalents. This interface is in contrast to the command line interface, whereby communication is achieved through an exchange of text strings.
The GUI is often preferred because command line interfaces require that numerous commands be learned and remembered by the user of a software application before she or he can use it efficiently. However, once mastered, command line commands can enable significantly faster interaction with the system. Cryptic commands are indeed often more efficient for very skilled users such as expert travel agents. Today, experienced travel agents use cryptic language commands which are unique to each of the GDSs. Travel agents are generally more comfortable with one cryptic language than another. In a multi-GDS/multi-content travel procurement environment, however, it is essential for these agents to be able to work in other languages as dictated by those sources. Different global distribution systems and travel reservation sources have access to different content and some travel agency clients will require that their travel bookings be reserved in a specific GDS/source in order to obtain discounts or preferred rates. Therefore, having access to many GDSs/sources is a strong requirement for travel agencies.
Experienced travel agents are quicker and more efficient using a cryptic command line entry than form-based fields in a GUI environment. Commands can take very few keystrokes to obtain results and there is generally no scrolling or clicking required with cryptic commands. If an agent does not know a command, however, cryptic is not as efficient as a GUI because commands are not intuitively obvious and the agent needs to access the help environment to find the GDS command. Inexperienced agents have two options—1) to learn one or more GDS languages through extensive training, or 2) to use a completely graphical, user-friendly, but less efficient, booking tool. A system is needed that would combine the advantages of both of these options.
The invention proposes a new apparatus, method and computer program which intend to reach this goal. According to the invention a new GUI combines a first command interface area dedicated to cryptic commands and a second command interface area having a form-based design. By combining the two interfaces, the invention provides a new experience to the user who can enter cryptic commands in one command interface area of the UI and dynamically see the effect of his/her input in a friendly manner in a second command interface area. In a preferred embodiment, the user can use either command interface area as an input interface, and thereby select the interface most adapted to his or her needs and skills. The invention is also capable of converting a cryptic request so that it is compatible with any GDS, independent of the original cryptic language format entered by the agent. This means that travel requests can be entered in any GDS cryptic language, converted into the form-based input, and then sent to the search (or travel booking) engine which may request content from, or make the reservation with, any GDS or content source. As an example, with this functionality, an agency can have 5 different agents (1 Sabre expert, 1 Worldspan expert, 1 Apollo expert, 1 Amadeus expert, and 1 inexperienced agent) all using the same tool and requesting and receiving the same information from whatever content sources have been configured in the rules and administration engine without needing to be retrained on a new GDS language. Another objective of the invention is to standardize data stream exchanged between the client applications and server. In another preferred embodiment using web applications, the parsing and processing of the travel requests can be handled by logic and code embedded within the form.
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to the ones skilled in the art upon examination of the following description in reference to the accompanying drawings.